Chicago is challenged by violence this Summer

A half-dozen people were gunned down in Chicago over Memorial Day weekend as the summer got off to its unofficial start, adding to the 134 people who were killed as of May 26 in the city that became a focal point earlier this year as the nation debated ways to address gun violence.

Experts and activists say those numbers highlight a downward trend in the city’s gun fatalities this year, but also underscore the challenges officers face headed into what are usually some of the most violent months in urban centers across the country. More than two hundred people had been killed in the city by the same time a year ago.

Despite the lower number of homicides year over year, Chicago and gun violence have basically been synonymous over the last six months. The city saw a number of high-profile gun fatalities as the nation debated the prospect of new state and federal gun legislation in the wake of the school shooting deaths of 20 young children and six adults in Newtown, Conn.

In January, Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old Chicagoan who performed at President Obama’s inauguration, was killed by a gunman who ran down an alley and fled in a white car, according to police.

In another incident, 6-month-old baby Jonylah Watkins died in March after being shot five times while she was sitting in her family’s parked minivan in the city’s Woodlawn neighborhood. Koman Willis, 33, turned himself in on May 25 in connection with the shooting. He has been charged with first-degree murder and is being held without bond.

In addition to the six people killed over the Memorial Day holiday, at least 17 more were injured, NBC Chicago reported. The weekend’s victims included an 18-year-old man who was killed in an alley and a 17-year-old man who died after having two bullets fired into his head.

Despite the headline-grabbing senselessness of the crimes, shootings in the city are actually down 28 percent compared to 2012 and 18 percent compared to 2011, said Chicago Police Department spokesman Adam Collins.

But the summer will bring new challenges as people gather outdoors in parks and other public spaces, said Roseanna Ander, executive director of the University of Chicago’s Crime Lab.

“Gun violence or violent crime increases during the summer months, and some of the reasons include that you just have more people with unstructured time,” Ander said. “When you have more people like you do in the summer months outdoors in public places, you just have a lot more potential for violent crime to happen.”

“The city could actually reach the lowest number of homicides since the 1960s, but the biggest tests will be June, July, and August,” said Tio Hardiman, director of community anti-violence group CeaseFire Illinois.

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Mayor Rahm Emanuel vowed to crack down on trouble areas in the aftermath of 2012’s Memorial Day violence, when eleven people were killed and more than 40 were hurt over a four-day period.

“Whether you are a problem business, a violent street corner, or a known drug market, we will go after you,” Emanuel said at the time, according to the Associated Press.

Police have taken a renewed approach to suppressing gun violence since then, placing more cops on patrol in impact zones, Chicago Police Superintendent Gary McCarthy said in an interview with NBC Chicago at the beginning of May. The city saw a 42 percent drop in homicides between January and the end of April this year, officials said.

“We’re going to have good days, we’re going to have bad days, but what’s the overall trend line?” McCarthy said. “In the first four months of this year, we’re in a position that we haven’t been in since the mid-Sixties, as far as the murder rate goes.”

“We are seeing real progress with a significant drop in murders, shootings and overall crime throughout Chicago,” Collins said in an email. “This is progress, not a victory, and it’s a result of our comprehensive policing strategy that includes our gang violence reduction initiative, targeted narcotics initiatives, a return to community policing and a close partnership between CPD and the community.”

Hardiman said that his group, which works with at-risk 16-to-25 year olds to keep them out of conflicts, plans to increase its presence on the streets over the summer months. There are encouraging signs, he said, that the city may see a continued decline in gun deaths even as the weather heats up.

“We usually have a spike during the months of March and April, and we didn’t have those spikes this year,” Hardiman said. “We’re going to have some good days and some bad days.”

But a comparison of crime statistics year-over-year can be misleading, Ander said. A decline in crime rates can rarely be traced back to a single cause, she said, and other factors like a relatively chilly spring may also have contributed to the city’s decrease in gun violence so far this year.

So a decline in gun-related violence this summer would be a positive sign, Ander said, that preventive efforts are taking hold.

“I think it’s too soon to tell or say anything definitive about what’s happening,” Ander said. “It’s certainly encouraging that we’re seeing numbers decrease, and I think a lot of the strategies that the police department are employing do seem like the right things to do.”

Chicago sounds like a rough place to live.

I know there are some gun supporters on this forum; I'm curious to know what they think about the violence in Chicago. I could be wrong, but isn't Chicago gun laws pretty lax? In other words, you can easily buy a gun in Chicago.

I know there are some gun supporters on this forum; I'm curious to know what they think about the violence in Chicago. I could be wrong, but isn't Chicago gun laws pretty lax? In other words, you can easily buy a gun in Chicago.

How could you possibly even get that impression? Did you do any research/look at the news at all before posting this?

Why does she have to research it? She made a casual statement and asked if any could enlighten her on the matter. Anyways this is pretty terrible. I'm surprised Obama isn't against guns given he probably grew up there.

It's funny because ever since Obama took office, all these Chicago is dangerous articles popped up. All in all, fatal violence has been on the decline since the 90's in Chicago and the country as a whole.

It's funny because ever since Obama took office, all these Chicago is dangerous articles popped up. All in all, fatal violence has been on the decline since the 90's in Chicago and the country as a whole.

Sent from my Nexus 4

On what decline? When it's still the highest violent crime rate in the country, with the most strict gun laws... what does that tell you?

It's funny because ever since Obama took office, all these Chicago is dangerous articles popped up. All in all, fatal violence has been on the decline since the 90's in Chicago and the country as a whole.

Sent from my Nexus 4

Thats because Obama says that gun control works, but the state he came from is the worst in the country.

The thing about Chicago is it's rather expansive for a city. The square Miles for the city of Chicago is almost 10 times that of New York, you're more likely to have more variation of today's cultures across the city, and the size also makes it harder to combat violence.

Also, the gun laws are the strictest in the country, and practically everything is considered a weapon due to the open ended nature of some laws.

Originally Posted by Sparc

For goodness sake I hope nobody thinks to start labelling the console an Xbrick,
oops

On what decline? When it's still the highest violent crime rate in the country, with the most strict gun laws... what does that tell you?

As far as I know Chicago is not the most violent city in America. Granted I haven't researched it but I don't think it's even in the top 10. If you have a link tho I'll appreciate it. No doubt gun control in my opinion isn't the issue. Criminals will always find a way to get them. Strict gun laws obviously isn't helping.

Originally Posted by -Kwesnoth-

Thats because Obama says that gun control works, but the state he came from is the worst in the country.

like my comment to F34R I don't think the city is the worst in the country. That's all I'm arguing. The gun control part I agree with both of you. It's not solving any problem. It's just restricting good honest citizens.

Gun Control has nothing to do with this, the people in Chicago committing these crimes are most likely in possession of these guns illegally, so it's just the ideal of there are more people in Chicago that own guns are the "bad" ones. While there are probably very few "good" gun owners. If we didnt have the "good" guys with guns people would be dying left and right. So without guns, people also wouldn't be safe! Look at all these incidents where a shooter was shot by a guy with a GUN. These supposedly horrible things these people own, there are more cases that I've read about where "bad" gunmen were stopped thanks to "good" people with guns. But you don't see any media attention on those because the government doesn't want people to see the truth! I've counted up to about 30 of these cases in the past 6 or 7 months that people have been stopped by guns! But do you see that stuff on the news? No! Because the government doesn't want you realizing gun arent ba.

I know there are some gun supporters on this forum; I'm curious to know what they think about the violence in Chicago. I could be wrong, but isn't Chicago gun laws pretty lax? In other words, you can easily buy a gun in Chicago.

So basically u think it's the college kids, engineer, doctors and lawyer that are going around Chicago committing gun crimes? Because Gangs, Felons and ppl with criminal record can't own guns in Chicago, and for law abiding citizen( regular folks) it is very strict to buy guns like in California.

My friend said in Cali when u apply for a CCW they'll ask u why u need it...lol basically u have to be assaulted, rob, rape or shot at before u can get a permit to carry.

I know there are some gun supporters on this forum; I'm curious to know what they think about the violence in Chicago. I could be wrong, but isn't Chicago gun laws pretty lax? In other words, you can easily buy a gun in Chicago.

Simple answer, Chicago and the state it sits in, Illinois, have some of the most strict firearms laws in the nation. Chicago is also one of the most violent cities in the nation. The majority of firearms ownership resides with the violent criminals.